Students from Plymouth University’s Faculty of Business enjoyed a chance to see behind the scenes at England’s second largest fresh fish market when Plymouth Fisheries hosted two private tours.

Two groups of 17 students visited Plymouth Fisheries on consecutive days for an early morning tour hosted by Manager Pete Bromley to help them learn more about the fisheries hub of the South West, and how it has helped to revitalise the region’s fishing industry since it relocated to custom-built premises on the eastern side of Sutton Harbour 20 years ago.

The students have recently started their first year at Plymouth University studying logistics, supply chain and shipping degrees.

Dr Chukwuneke Okorie, a Senior Personal Tutor at Plymouth Graduate School of Management based at Mast House in Sutton Harbour and a Lecturer in International Logistics for Plymouth University, said: “We wanted to introduce our students to some of the core Plymouth heritage industries relevant to their studies. We want to ensure they also have an overview of the fish supply chain, and how Plymouth is a key player.

“The visits were very informative and interesting in understanding how Plymouth contributes significantly to the cold supply chain in the UK, European Union and worldwide, and we received very positive feedback from the students. The visits to Plymouth Fisheries were also well in line with our strategic focus to engage with businesses and expose our students to potential opportunities in Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City.”

The students visited Plymouth Fisheries at 6.30am on October 6th and 7th and were given a tour by Manager Pete Bromley, who explained how the fish market operates, with the daily fish auction managed by Plymouth Trawler Agents.

Plymouth Fisheries sustains over 600 direct and indirect jobs and is the second largest fresh fish market in England today, with fish landed at other ports across Devon and Cornwall regularly transported to Plymouth to be sold.

Pete Bromley, Manager of Plymouth Fisheries, said: “The fishing industry is vital for the Westcountry economy, and as a result of the investment in Plymouth Fisheries and our work to support the region’s fishermen, the city’s fish market is now an integral part of the national and international supply chain.

“We believe in doing everything we can to help the fishing industry in the South West to thrive and part of that involves educating people about how the industry works, so we are always happy to organise private tours to help students learn more about the fish supply chain and see the market in action.”

The tour follows a visit in July from year 7 students from Plymouth School of Creative Arts to help them learn about the fishing industry as part of a culinary arts project.

The fish market is owned and operated by Sutton Harbour Holdings Plc, and turnover has increased dramatically since the company invested in relocating the market to its current, purpose-built base in 1995. Last year, Plymouth Fisheries reported record landings with a catch value of £19.4million.

Sutton Harbour Holdings Plc has supported an ongoing £1.2million investment in the facilities this year, and a new ice production facility was unveiled in April to guarantee the provision of ice 24 hours a day.

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Since relocating the Fishmarket in 1995 our 'No Problems, only Solutions' approach to our customers has proved a winning formula for Plymouth Fisheries at Sutton Harbour. Many times we have had record landings of fish, crabs and scallops totalling annual amounts of over £19million.

This makes Plymouth the second largest Fishmarket in England by value and an incredibly important UK asset in the fisheries and fishing industry. This remarkable success story comes about at a time when many other ports in the country are in serious decline.